Zachary Levi’s DC superhero sequel Shazam! Fury of The Gods worked neither for fans nor for critics, and it seems as if Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson could have something to do with it. The DCEU is already in a complete rebuild mode with new CEO James Gunn and movies like Shazam! Fury of The Gods, Black Adam, and The Flash marking the end of an era.
Speaking of Black Adam, reports suggest that Zachary Levi was supposed to make a cameo as Shazam in the post-credits scene. However, Dwayne Johnson had allegedly interfered with this decision and blocked Zachary Levi’s cameo. Furthermore, The Rock himself was expected to make a guest appearance in Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which he declined.
Zachary Levi posted this on his Instagram story.
— Home of DCU (@homeofdcu) March 21, 2023
The problem has now gotten out of hand as Zachary Levi has actually reshared these reports on Instagram virtually confirming the rumors. The actor posted a story from The Wrap with the caption, “The truth shall set you free.”
Why did Dwayne Johnson block Zachary Levi’s Shazam cameo in Black Adam?
The reason seems to be quite straightforward. Dwayne Johnson clearly did not want Zachary Levi’s Shazam to show up at the end of Black Adam. Instead, he wanted the post-credits scene to feature Henry Cavill’s Superman.
The originally planned cameo would have seen Shazam recruited by Hawkman, played by Aldis Hodge, and the other superheroes, into the Justice Society of America. This could have been extremely beneficial for the marketing and promotion of Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
https://youtu.be/TWl91vLW_Qw
However, Dwayne Johnson preferred the much-popular Superman to Shazam. If reports are to be believed, he wanted to change DCEU’s trajectory and restructure it around the rivalry between his Black Adam and Henry Cavill’s Superman.
The future of Black Adam and Shazam in DCEU
In the end, it’s a clear lose-lose situation after James Gunn took over. There seems to be no future in the DCEU for Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam, Zachary Levi’s Shazam or even Henry Cavill’s Superman.
Zachary Levi even agreed to a statement on Twitter that claimed Zack Snyder’s fans would be happy over the failure of Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
This is also true. Sad, but true. How much that actually affects the box office is anyone’s guess. But I think the biggest issue we’re having is marketing. This is a perfect family movie, and yet a lot of families aren’t aware of that. Which is just a shame. 🤷♂️ https://t.co/Fpw6Ja384F
— Zachary Levi (@ZacharyLevi) March 21, 2023
In the comics, both Billy Batson and Teth-Adam get their powers from the same wizard, Shazam. This means that Black Adam and Shazam share a similar origin, but the former’s turn to evil makes him a villainous counterpart to the latter.
Exploring the failure of Shazam! Fury of the Gods
The original Shazam! from 2019 was fairly successful in both box office numbers and critics’ reviews. However, the sequel pales in comparison as most people are not even aware of the movie’s worldwide release.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods has a 51% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has grossed only $70 million worldwide so far, despite the budget being $100-125 million.
Zachary Levi on Instagram live said that he desperately wanted Cavill at the end of 'SHAZAM!'.
Walter Hamada and David F. Sandberg tried everything they could to bring him on and that they never ever wanted to pivot to a headless cameo. pic.twitter.com/XSN7xBhOXg
— Home of DCU (@homeofdcu) March 24, 2023
The sequel revolves around Billy Batson and his fellow foster kids balancing their regular lives and their superhero alter egos. They have to battle a vengeful trio of ancient Gods.
RELATED NEWS: Shazam! Fury of the Gods post credit scene explained: How is Zachary Levi’s future in DC looking?
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